Flow head with adjustable flow bean



1939- D. R. KNOWLTON ET AL I 2,170,500

FLOW HEAD WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOW BEAN Filed May 3, 1938 INVENTOR. R c. MURPHY BY D. R. KNOWLTON M-%..27 W

ATTO N S.

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT arms FLOW HEAD WITH ADJUSTABLE FLOW BEAN Donald R. Knowlton, Bartlesville, kla., and Paul G. Murphy, Shreveport, La., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware ApplicationMay 3, 1938, Serial No. 205,814

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in l0 the well. Equipment of this type eliminates the serious cutting out of flow-head structures which resulted from the abrasive contact with the sand particles under high velocity flowing conditions.

It is of fundamental importance in the design 15 of these flow heads and adjustable flow beans that turbulence in the flow be prevented. This is accomplished by eliminating any expansion chamber within the flow head structure and by producing a stream line flow of the fluids.

In addition to this, present governmental regulations have made it necessary to restrict the flow of wells to a predetermined volume. Usually this is a, certain proportion of the maximum output obtained under specified conditions.

25 To comply with these proration requirements it is necessary to have control apparatus so designed that a micrometer adjustment may be obtained in relation to the volume of fluid flowing. In this way it is possible toso adjust the 30 flow from the well that the summation of each day's runat the end of the month ,will exactly equal the proration allowable, for that month. This method of operating the wells is more emcient, from a standpoint of conserving the as reservoir energy and recovering the petroleum,

than a method of producing that requires the wells to be entirely. closed in for a part of each month.

r In accordance with this, the primary purpose 40 of the present invention is to improve the device disclosed in the D. R. Knowlton U. S. Patent No. 1,831,713, dated November 10, 1931, and the Knowlton and Defenbau'gh U. S. Patent No. 1,911,905, dated May 30,1933. 4| An important object of this invention is to provide a control device which can be adjusted to a very fine degree.

Another object oi. this invention is to provide a flow bean which can be made to cooperate with is :e number of various sized flow restricting mem- 11. Another object 01' this invention is to provide a flow bean which will not be readily subject to the cutting action of the sand particles in the u fluid. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for quickly and conveniently removing a flow restricting member from the cross meme ber.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.

Figure 1 is a part vertical sectional view and a part elevational view along the longitudinal axis of one embodiment of this invention, and

Figure 2 is a central; vertical, longitudinal sectio through a flow restricting member suitable for proration purposes.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration, are shown preferred embodiments of this invention, the numeral designates a cruci-form fitting which forms communicating vertical and horizontal passages 6 and 1. Passage G and passage I may each be considered as being formed of a pair of oppositely disposed communicating passages in the projecting portions of the cruel-form fitting. This fitting 5 is adapted to be connected to a well conduit, either directly over the well bore or at any preferred place in the discharge flow lines, by means of the aligning internally-threaded, opposite, open ends 8 and 9.

Open end I0, externally threaded at I2 and internally threaded at l3 to receive a tubular flow collar or member It, forms a horizontal fluid conduit.

The open end piece ll, bored as at l5 to receive the body stud bolts l6, forms a supporting base for the body member l8 and provides a recessed passage 1 into which the flow bean 33 may be withdrawn when necessary to run a swabv through the vertical passage 6. Passage 1 is of suflicient diameter to allow a free movement of the flow been 33 and the stem 23, and to afford a convenient access to the flow-restricting member ll when body member I8 is removed.

A ring gasket I1 is placed between the end piece II 'and' the flanged head IQ of body member I8 to insure a fluid tight closure between them when the body stud bolts I6 are drawn up tightly.

Removably attached to the end piece II by stud bolts l6, orany other means commonly used for this purpose; such as, a screw threaded coupling,

is a body member ll. Body member l8 consists of a flanged head l9, which is preferably circular in cross section and bored to receive the study bolts. l6, and integrally formed arms or ribs 20 extending from the flanged head portion B9 to a boss 2| located at the outer end of the arms.

As shown in Figure 1, the boss 21! is preferably constructed as an integral part of the arms 20 and is internally threaded to receive a threaded portion 22 of the fiow bean stem 23;.

An indicator arm 26 is mounted on one of the arms 20 in accordance with common practice.

Means for moving the fiow bean 33 to open or closed position includes a flow bean stem 23 preferably secured in the body member 58 so as to be free to rotate either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. To prevent leakage from occurring along the fiow bean stem 23 a'packing 2i and a packing gland 28, surrounding the flow bean stem, are mounted between the arms 2!] and secured to the body member it by means of packing box studs or in any other well known manner.

The usual hand wheel 25 is fastened to the extreme outer end of the flow bean stem, by a nut 1%, for rotating the fiow bean stem to move the flow bean 33 axially to and from its seat.

A stem lock 72 i mounted upon the fiow bean stem is optional as is the calibrated sleeve 35 and the indicator 26. However, these refinements tend to insure a positive and accurate action of the device although they are not indispensable to operation.

Arranged at the extreme inner end of the fiow bean stem 23 is a fiow bean 33. In the preferred embodiment, flow bean 33 is removably attached to the flow bean stem either through the use of a threaded connection or a pin coupling as in common practice. If desired, the fiow bean may be made as an integral part of the flow bean stem. As shown, flow bean 33 is composed of a tapered and conical element 29 which merges intoa plurality of frusto-conical members 3@, 3E, 32, each of which is of greater transverse diameter than the preceding one.

Element 29 is designed with a very slight taper so that a relatively great degree of rotation oi the stem 23 will produce a micro-adjustment of the element 29 in relation to the flow member in which it is to cooperate. Figure 2 shows a flow member constructed for proration purposes which is designed to receive the element 29.

The elements 38, 3l,.and 32 are each designed to cooperate with flow restricting members having progressively greater discharge passages. It is tobe understood that the flow bean 33 is not limited to the four members 29; 30, iii, and 32 as shown but can be composed of as many different co-acting members as desired. In this manner it is possible to use a single flow bean with a multiple of fiow restricting members and to control the fiow of fiuid to any degree desired.

We have found in previous flow heads that the cutting resulting from the abrasive action of the sand carried in the fluid was confined to the flow beans and fiow restricting members.

Where the flow bean is designed with an abrupt or very obtuse point as in former devices, the fluid flow is not confined in a stream line but has a tendency tospray out and become a turbulent flow with the resulting cutting of the fiow bean and restricting members.

In our present invention we minimize this cutting through the use of the above described flow bean 33. element 29 and the frusto-conical elements 38, 3 i 32 produces a stream line fiow of the fluid and Y prevents turbulence.

Numeral it indicates a flow collar or restrictrestricting member M The combination of the conical.

ing member removably mounted by means of the screw threads I3 in the cross member 5. Member M is preferably of tubular construction as indicated by the numeral M-A in Figure 2, having its outer surface threaded at 63 in Figure 1 and l3-A in Figure 2. A discharge passage 35, provided within the fiow restricting member, connects the interior of the vertical passage 6 with the discharge lines which are adapted to be coupled to element by means of a threaded connection at 02. As will be readily understood by those skilled in. this art the transverse diameter of the discharge passage 35 may vary from a minute opening suitable for proration fiow to one equal to the wide open diameter of the discharge member it.

Previous methods of mounting flow restricting members have all been to construct the tubular element with a slight taper so that the restricting an externally threaded well conduit, not shown in the figures, in the customary manner. A closure element such as a bull plug or valve controlled conduit is inserted in the internally threaded open end 8.

End piece H is uncovered by removing the flanged body member l8. This in turn allows the stem 23, how bean 33, and flow restrictingmember M to be withdrawn from the cruci-form fitting 5.

A fiow restricting member, l4M-A, having the proper sized discharge opening 35-35 to allow a desired volume of fluid to pass through, is mounted within the internally threaded open end Ml. The external threads of the flow restricting member and the internal threads of the end piece I18 engaging as at l3, Figure 1, in accordance with common practice.

When body member I8 is re-assembled and mounted as shown in Figure 1, fiow bean stem 23 can be rotated by means of the hand wheel 25.

In this manner, the fiow bean 33 is retracted into the horizontal passage '3 until it assumes the position denoted by reference numeral 33-A so that the vertical passage 6 can be cleared of obstructions, or adjusted in relation to the flow restricting member, M-M-A so as to control the fluid flow being discharged from member Hi.

It is to be understood that the manner in which the fiow bean 33 cooperates with the flow 2 determines the amount of discharge opening available for the passage of fluid from the vertical passage 6 into the end member iii.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the construction, operation, and advantages of the invention may be readily understood. It is also to be understood that the Iorm of our invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangements of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of our invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

We claim:

I. In a flow head the combination comprising ing vertical and horizontal passages, vertical and means for regulating fluid flow through a conduit having vertical and horizontal passages, one of said horizontal passages adapted to have a flow collar mounted therein, the other said horizontal passage having -closure means in which is adjustably mounted a flow beanstem, a flow bean connected to said stem, said flow bean including a series of frustro-conical portions for selective cooperation with flow collars having openings corresponding in size to any selected one of said frustro-conical portions.

2. In fluid control equipment of the type described, the combination comprising a hollow cruci-form flow head which forms communicathorizontal open ends in the flow head connected by said passages, one-of said horizontal passages adapted to have a flow collar mounted therein,

the other said horizontal passage having closure means in which is adjustably mounted a flow 'bean stem, a flow bean connected to said'stem,

said flow bean including a series of frustro-conical portions for selective cooperation with flow collars having openings corresponding in size to 10 any selected one of said frustro-conical portions.

DONALD R, KNOWLTON. PAUL c. MURPHY.. 

